ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – James Shields should resist the urge to pull out his hair. It’s a common reaction when playing the Orioles.

He struck out 15 batters and gave up two hits on Tuesday night.

“I think that was the best game of my career,” Shields said.

Naturally, he lost. He pitched against Baltimore, which would win a game with no hits if it really needed to. That hasn’t happened yet, but the season isn’t quite over.

The Orioles can still win the American League East thanks to their 1-0 win at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. Baltimore looked like it was going to be tied for first-place again, but the New York Yankees rallied late to top the Boston Red Sox, 4-3, in 12 innings.

All the Orioles need is a win Wednesday night and for the Yankees to lose to the Red Sox. That would mean a one-game playoff, for the division title, Thursday at Camden Yards.

Okay, it’s not likely. But who thought we’d even be having this conversation?

“You just have to win,” closer Jim Johnson said. “You just have to find a way.”

Tuesday night’s was confounding even by Orioles standards. Just when you figured there was no way, Baltimore found another way to win.

It has 93 of those now. That’s good enough for at least a wild-card berth, and about 25 more than most people figured the Orioles would have.

I’d like to tell you how they’ve done it, but there’s no way to fully or rationally explain it. How does a team that’s had 14 straight losing seasons stick with the Yankees until the last day of the season?

How does it win 16 straight extra-inning games? How does it go 29-9 in one-run games?

It’s part destiny, part Buck Showalter, part defense, part talent. Oh wait, the Orioles weren’t supposed to have nearly enough of the latter to mention. Or at least mention in the same sentence as New York.

“There is no let-up in that group,” Joe Maddon said.

We know how the Orioles beat the Rays. We just don’t know how they keep doing this stuff over and over and over again. They won because Miguel Gonzalez matched Shields pitch-for-great-pitch. The guy is a rookie, appearing on the road in October against one of the best starters in the league.

No problem.

“He was doing great,” Gonzalez said. “I had to do better.” Shields only mistake was a change-up that Orioles slugger Chris Davis hit about 450 feet to straightaway centerfield. It was his seventh homer in six games and his sixth straight game with a home run. The only other Oriole to hit home runs in six straight games was Reggie Jackson in 1976.

“It blows my mind to be mentioned in the same breath as Reggie,” Davis said.

Johnson should be mentioned in the same breath as Rollie Fingers. He finished another fine bullpen night with his 51st save. Just another night at the One-Run-Win office.

“If you keep it close,” Johnson said. “You’re going to have a good chance.”

Nothing has come easy for the Orioles. They were all set to celebrate their wild-card berth on Sunday. The champagne was on ice and waiting to be sprayed.

But they had to wait until the Los Angeles Angels were eliminated. That didn’t happen in the first game of a doubleheader the Angels had with the Texas Rangers, so the Orioles had to go to the airport for the flight to St. Petersburg.

Somewhere over Georgia, the galley started filling with smoke. The charter flight had to divert to Jacksonville.

All was well, but the adventure just added to the long, strange trip this season has been.

“They told us we’d have to make an emergency landing,” Davis said. “I don’t think you should ever say the word ‘Emergency’ on an airplane.”

Instead of a champagne shower, the team had a late-night toast at the hotel after the Rangers defeated the Angels in Game 2 of Sunday's doubleheader. After all they’ve done this year, the Orioles deserve a better celebration.

So here’s to you, Baltimore.

May you somehow find a way to make the Yankees pull their hair out like everybody else.